Advanced rig design for automated tubular installation and removal operations

ABSTRACT

A tubular handling system includes at least one first storage tub configured to hold one or more tubular singles, at least one second storage tub configured to hold one or more stands of tubulars having two or more tubular singles, and a catwalk operable between the at least one second storage tub and a rig floor, wherein the catwalk is configured to allow the stands of tubulars to be transferred from the catwalk to the rig floor.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims benefit, under 35 U.S.C. §119, of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/526,564 filed on Aug. 23, 2011, and entitled “Advanced Rig Design For Automated Tubular Installation And Removal Operations.” The disclosure of this U.S. Provisional Application is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Disclosure

Embodiments disclosed herein relate generally to tubular handling systems, and more particularly to tubular handling systems used with drilling rigs.

2. Background Art

Drilling rigs have utilized several methods for transferring tubular members from a pipe rack adjacent to the drill floor to a mousehole in the drill floor or the well bore for connection to a previously transferred tubular or tubular string. The term “tubular” as used herein includes all forms of drill pipe, drill collars, casing, liner, bottom hole assemblies (BHA), and other types of tubulars known in the art. Conventionally, drill rigs have utilized a combination of rig cranes and a traveling block system for transferring a tubular from the pipe rack to a vertical position above the center of the well.

One disadvantage with the prior art systems is that there is a significant manual involvement in attaching the pipe elevators to the tubular and moving the pipe from the pipe rack to the rotary table. This manual transfer operation in the vicinity of workers is potentially dangerous and has caused numerous injuries in drilling operations. Further, the hoisting system may allow the tubular to come into contact with the catwalk or other portions of the rig as the tubular is transferred from the pipe rack to the drill floor. This can cause damage to the tubular and may affect the integrity of the connections between successive tubulars in the well. Finally, past systems have only been able to transfer single joints of pipe (typically 30 feet long) or casing (typically 45 feet long) to and from the rig floor rather than the 90 feet “stands” of pipe and casing often used in drilling and casing operations. As such, individual joints of pipe (three) or casing (two) must be threadably connected and stored on the rig (e.g., in a vertical pipe rack) for quick access operations.

Accordingly, there exists a need for a tubular handling system that allows multiple segments of tubulars to be assembled and stored prior to being moved to the rig floor. The system should minimize required manual contact with tubulars while maintaining the simplicity of the drilling operation. The tubular transfer system should also be relatively lightweight, and low-cost. The system should also increase the efficiency of the tubular handling operation.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

In one aspect, embodiments disclosed herein relate to a tubular handling system including at least one first storage tub configured to hold one or more tubular singles, at least one second storage tub configured to hold one or more stands of tubulars comprising two or more tubular singles, and a catwalk operable between the at least one second storage tub and a rig floor, wherein the catwalk is configured to allow the stands of tubulars to be transferred from the catwalk to the rig floor.

In other aspects, embodiments disclosed herein relate to a method of handling tubulars including making up two or more tubular singles into one or more stands of tubulars, transferring the one or more stands of tubulars into one or more storage tubs, transferring the one or more stands of tubulars from at least one storage tub to an automated catwalk, and transferring the one or more stands of tubulars from the automated catwalk directly to a drilling rig floor.

Other aspects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description and the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic view of a drilling rig with an automated tubular handling system in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 illustrates a method of using the automated tubular handling system in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 illustrates the tubular handling system in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In one aspect, embodiments disclosed herein relate to a drilling rig which includes a fast automated tubular handling system to minimize the time the well is open. Embodiments disclosed herein are not limited to any particular type of drilling rig, nor is it limited to drilling rigs in particular. The one or more embodiments disclosed herein may be used anywhere a tubular transfer system is needed. For example, the embodiments disclosed herein may be used for, but not limited to, land rigs, offshore rigs, production and drilling platforms, tender assist rigs, and drilling barges.

Referring to FIGS. 1-3, a drilling rig 50 centered over a wellbore 51 is shown in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. The drilling rig 50 includes an automated tubular handling system 100 which may handle pipe in either X or Y axes. The automated tubular handling system 100 includes storage tubs 102 for drill pipe singles (i.e., individual lengths of pipe) and a bucking machine 104 for assembling the drill pipe singles in to stands of drill pipe. The storage tubs 102 may be any type of box-shaped storage bin, steel or otherwise, which may be welded or fastened together with mechanical fasteners. The storage tubs 102 may be configured having an open top for access to the drill pipe singles through the top. The storage tubs 102 may have lengths similar to the drill pipe single lengths which are stored therein.

Tubulars, which may be drill pipe or casing singles in either Range II (nominal 30 foot lengths) or Range III (nominal 45 foot lengths) may arrive on location. Once the tubular singles have been prepared for make-up and loaded into the storage tubs 102, the tubular singles may be transferred to the bucking machine 104 for assembly into a stand of pipe. The bucking machine 104 is used for assembly of the singles into one or more stands of drill pipe connected usually by threads end to end. The bucking machine 104 aligns, stabs, and makes up the tubular connections to the correct torque value, as is known to those skilled in the art. After make-up, the stand of drill pipe is transferred from the bucking machine 104 to separate and larger storage tubs 106 configured to accommodate stands of drill pipe or casing. Stands of pipe (i.e., one or more single pieces of pipe connected end to end) may be made up or broken down offline, and independent of well activity. Further, stands of pipe may be made up or broken down while drilling or while rigging up on a new location for reduced time on location.

FIG. 3 schematically shows the transfer and storage of stands of pipe from the bucking machine 104 (FIG. 1) into the storage tubs 106 and onto a catwalk 110 of the drilling rig 50. Stands of drill pipe 5, casing or BHA, after being made up with the bucking machines 104, are stacked and stored in the storage tubs 106. Metal dividers 107 with hard plastic may be placed on top of a row of stands of pipe 5 to space and protect the stands of pipe 5 as they are stacked in the storage tubs 106. In certain embodiments, the storage tubs 106 may be sloped or angled in one direction so the stands of pipe 5 tend to roll to one side of the storage tubs 106, which allows an automated handling assembly to pick up the stands of pipe 5.

Further, in certain embodiments, pipe handler arms 108, which may be pivotably connected to tops of the storage tubs 106 grab a stand of pipe 5 from the bucking machine 104 and carry it to the top of the storage tub 106, where it is passed over the top and transferred to a pipe handler arm 108 in the next storage tub 106. Moreover, pipe handler arms 108 may grab a stand of pipe 5 from the storage tub 106, where it is passed over the top of the storage tub 106 and onto the catwalk 110 of the drilling rig 50. The pipe handler arms 108 may be hook-shaped arms in certain embodiments; however, those skilled in the art will appreciate other handler arm configurations that may be used to grab the stands of drill pipe from the storage tubs 106. Further, for transportation purposes, the storage tubs 106 and catwalk 110 may be disassembled and transported in separate loads between wellsite locations.

The catwalk 110 may be automated to move stands of pipe 5 from the storage tubs 106 and feed the stands of pipe 5 to the rig floor of the drilling rig 50. The catwalk 110, in combination with a modified rig mast structure (not shown), may allow the stands of pipe 5 to be transferred directly from the catwalk 110 to rig floor (not shown) without any interference.

The rig mast structure (not shown) may be modified by removing the racking board (also known as a pipe rack or pipe setback area), which is a platform on which a derrickman stands to rack tubing or sucker rods being pulled from the well. Removal of the racking board from the rig mast structure may reduce the size of the mast structure by almost half In addition, modification to the rig mast structure may allow the pipe rack to be lengthened to lay down stands of pipe. By removing the racking board, the rig mast structure front may be completely open, leaving the front leg of the mast as the only point to be cleared by stands of pipe.

In addition, operational parameters of a top drive unit of the drilling rig may be modified. The top drive unit may be coupled to a traveling block suspended by wireline and movable upward and downward within the rig mast structure. A ‘retract’ function of the top drive unit, which controls downward movement of the top drive unit within the rig mast structure, may be modified to allow the top drive unit to ‘extend’ downward and out of the front of the rig mast structure to pick up stands of pipe directly from the automated catwalk. Then, in the extended position, the top drive unit may be raised, picking up the stand of pipe in front of the legs of the mast structure with no interference. After the stand of pipe has been raised and is hanging vertically the traveling block and top drive unit may be retracted to a well center 51 (FIG. 1) and the stand of pipe made up to the drillstring in the wellbore. The process may then be reversed for laying down pipe.

Advantageously, embodiments of the present disclosure provide an automated tubular handling system capable of picking up stands of pipe with a top drive unit directly from an automated catwalk. The automated tubular handling process eliminates any contact or interference between the stands of pipe and the mast structure as the stands of pipe are lifted. In addition, the tubular handling system eliminates the requirement of a derrickman who typically works on or near the racking board, thereby providing a hands-free automated tubular handling system. Overall, a reduced crew size may be required to operate the automated tubular handling system. Still further, removal of the racking board from the mast structure aids in removal of a sail area of drill pipe, which creates a wind wall. In turn, structural requirements of the rig mast structure may be lessened due to reduced windloads. The drilling rig has a lighter, smaller moving profile, while maintaining or increasing a drilling capacity of over 71,500 ft-lbs. Finally, the tubular handling system disclosed herein may reduce the total pickup time of the stands of drill pipe or casing by up to ⅔ the amount of time of conventional handling systems.

While the present disclosure has been described with respect to a limited number of embodiments, those skilled in the art, having benefit of this disclosure, will appreciate that other embodiments may be devised which do not depart from the scope of the disclosure as described herein. Accordingly, the scope of the disclosure should be limited only by the attached claims. 

1. A tubular handling system comprising: at least one first storage tub configured to hold one or more tubular singles; at least one second storage tub configured to hold one or more stands of tubulars comprising two or more tubular singles; and a catwalk operable between the at least one second storage tub and a rig floor, wherein the catwalk is configured to allow the stands of tubulars to be transferred from the catwalk to the rig floor.
 2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a bucking machine configured to assemble tubular singles into stands of tubulars.
 3. The system of claim 2, further comprising one or more pipe handler arms configured to transfer stands of tubulars from the bucking machine to the at least one storage tub.
 4. The system of claim 2, further comprising one or more pipe handler arms configured to transfer tubular singles from the at least one first storage tub to the bucking machine.
 5. The system of claim 1, further comprising one or more pipe handler arms configured to transfer stands of tubulars from the at least one storage tub to the catwalk.
 6. The system of claim 1, further comprising a top drive unit, wherein the top drive unit configured to retract and pick up stands of tubulars from the catwalk.
 7. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second storage tubs is sloped.
 8. The system of claim 1, further comprising one or more horizontal dividers positioned between rows of stands of tubulars.
 9. A method of handling tubulars, comprising: making up two or more tubular singles into one or more stands of tubulars; transferring the one or more stands of tubulars into one or more storage tubs; transferring the one or more stands of tubulars from at least one storage tub to an automated catwalk; and transferring the one or more stands of tubulars from the automated catwalk directly to a drilling rig floor.
 10. The method of claim 9, further comprising making up the two or more tubular singles into one or more stands of tubulars with a bucking machine.
 11. The method of claim 9, further comprising transferring the one or more stands of tubulars from the automated catwalk with a top drive unit.
 12. The method of claim 9, further comprising storing the one or more tubular singles in a storage tub.
 13. The method of claim 9, further comprising transferring the one or more stands of tubulars with pipe handler arms. 